Classic Canadian vignettes inspire local artist’s latest show

Earl Grey

Wolseley

A Winnipeg artist and art instructor is drawing inspiration from an iconic Canadian TV segment.

Chris Simonite’s new exhibition is titled Hinterland WTF? – paintings by Chris Simonite and will be showcased at 226 Main Street Gallery (226 Main St.) between Wednesday, June 17 and Sunday, June 28.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, June 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. and an artist’s talk and performance on June 28 between 7 and 9 p.m. The gallery’s hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

According to a release, the show riffs on Hinterland Who’s Who, a longtime “childhood staple of Canadian television (that) gets a sharp, funny and unsettling makeover.” The shorts were “gentle wildlife vignettes produced by Environment Canada and the National Film Board that introduced a generation to the country’s animals and to the idea of conservation,” the release states.

“When I was a kid growing up in Canada, there were these little vignettes that were shown during commercial breaks. They featured animals such as geese, moose, and elk, and the music was very distinctive. They were very memorable,” Simonite, who lives in Earl Grey, said, noting he thinks the show is going to be lots of fun.

For the record, Simonite — whose instructing resumé includes the Forum Art Centre — also has a “musical/comedy/performance art alter ego” called Stan Dickie, a faux cowpunk star who he said was the subject of his master’s of fine arts degree at University of Ottawa.

The exhibition comprises a number of large paintings, Simonite said, noting his self-described style is “Cubo-Weirdism” — a style that draws on Cubism and Picasso’s late and surrealist periods.

Renowned Winnipeg artist and Wolseley resident Diana Thorneycroft runs 226 Main Street Gallery on a volunteer basis with Ryan Pollard, whose family owns the building.

The pair invites artists to make submissions, which Thorneycroft and Pollard go through diligently. The gallery is a popular destination, with upcoming exhibits booked up for the foreseeable future.

“At first, we accepted pretty much everyone who applied, on a pretty casual basis,” Thorneycroft said, noting the need for exhibition space in the city for artists, including mid-career and established artists, is “profound.”

“Now the word is out that it’s a marvellous exhibition space, we’re inviting people to make their applications a bit more formally.”

Thorneycroft has known Simonite since he was her student in a drawing class at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art.

“His work is so honest and reflects his wonderful, quirky personality,” Thorneycroft said.

Visit simonite.com or @226gallerywpg on Instagram to learn more.